Tsumori Chisato ss 09

After finding that Tsumori Chisato top at Value Village last week, I went on a search to find it's possible runway origins. Unfortunately, I still haven't found anything, so I'm assuming that it was just a retail piece. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to discover a brand that I had not paid close attention to in the past. Tsumori Chisato is a bit like Marni's younger, even quirkier sister. I'm noticing similar motifs like that died check/plaid pattern and the loose round silhouette. I am loving the extremely colorful spring/summer 2009 collection. It is styling like this that makes me want to throw on every piece in my closet at once just to see what crazy new combinations could work out.




Images via sofeminine and a-net

A Momentary Break, Brought to You by Bruno Pieters

As you can probably ascertain from my various outfit posts, I tend admire both minimalism and outlandishness in fashion. One of my favourite "minimalist" designers would have to be Bruno Pieters, whose sharp cuts and pin-point-precise tailoring are things of genius and beauty. After reading a Bon magazine interview with the designer, I think I admire him even more for being so level-headed. Here's a long bit of the interview that I found particularly interesting.

Pieters:

I'm reading this spiritual book. It's about trying to be in the moment. I'm one of those people who's always thinking about the next thing. And I felt that my life was like sitting in a waiting room- that what I was doing now wasn't important. The goal was the important thing, but the goal, when I reached it, was always a disappointment- always.

[The book] is by Eckhart Tolle called A New Earth. I got it from a friend of mine. She said, "You need this. You're not living your life. It's gonna pass you by." And she was right, it was. I think for 30 years it was just passing me by... Certain things happened to me that I always wanted to happen, it just didn't do anything for me... For all these years, these goals, these things I wanted, this ambition- it gives no satisfaction. Nothing. Because it's never enough. When you are in French Vogue you say, "If it would have been American Vogue I would have been happier..." If you say: "I have this job, but if I had that one, then I would be happy." You can do this with everything, with relationships and everything else...

It flashes by- your whole life. And when you think about what you have done, it's like... there's no meaning, nothing. It's really useless.

I love it when I can combine my love of fashion and spiritual philosophy into one relevant post. I can see this same situation played out in the minds of many who work in the fashion industry. The absence of living the moment isn't just a problem in this industry, it's global, but I think that fashion in particular has a tendency to always leave people feeling unsatisfied with themselves and with their lives. So if you've been feeling dispirited lately, I hope this post will jog you back to thinking about what you can do to achieve real and lasting happiness.

One particular lesson I remember from reading Tolle's book was that it is insanity to spend the mental effort struggling against something that already is and that has already passed. You can drive yourself crazy through guilt, regret, jealousy or anger towards a situation that just is what it is. If you stop fighting and become at peace with the moment now, you'll find that new doors will open up for you that you had previously been blind to. It's inspiring to see a designer kick the system and learn to make his life more meaningful, not necessarily through any outer changes to his status and career, but through inner changes that can be so simple yet so profound.

Serge Lutens

Forgive me me while I play fashion catch-up here but I am finding myself completely blown away by the work of Serge Lutens. I can't believe I've only stumbled across this artistic genius just now! I was only vaguely aware of his stunning work for Shiseido in the 80s and his makeup campaign for Dior, but hadn't had the chance to view the rest of his work until I ran into this stunning compilation of his photographs. Would you even call them photographs? They really toe the line between photography and traditional art. It all looks like a perfect mix of geisha, court jester and blitz kid. I am in love.









Photos via typogabor.com

What I'm Wearing 30.04.09

Yesterday I realized I couldn't find anything in my closet anymore and decided to clear everything out and put it back in in a more orderly fashion. I couldn't believe how many random clothes I have! Who needs so many? Honestly, I think I might have a thrift shopping problem. I think about 70% of my closet is second-hand. But I couldn't manage giving anything away because I like the pleasant surprise that comes with shopping your own closet and rediscovering something you had forgotten.

I'm wearing an old thrifted jacket in the first outfit photo below. I decided to give the yellow/pink combination one more go. I love this outfit but it isn't very practical because the yellow tights I cut into shorts and socks either roll up or down all the time and I'm constantly adjusting them. Good idea in theory, oh well. I'm liking the yellow/flesh tone/yellow/flesh tone action going on.



And here are my new Aldo shoes. They were a rather smart buy, extremely comfortable and extremely stylable. They are also a match made in heaven with yellow. Thanks to everyone who shared their advice on necessary shoe colours! I think these slightly pinky beige heels were the answer I was looking for. The next step? Finding a range of flats, of course. But I'm broke at the moment, so that will have to wait... A long while.



And for those who have been waiting to see the Tsumori Chisato top I thrifted last week, I'm wearing it below! When I first picked it up I thought it was a rather crafty-looking piece that was probably made by a local Vancouver designer. But when I tried it on, I loved the way the lace detailing stood up from the shoulders. I couldn't see a label anywhere so I had no idea who made it, until I tried it on at home and saw the label hidden on a side seam near the bottom! Lucky find indeed. The bright beads and lace look Mexican-inspired, and the two circles on the chest almost look like Dia De Los Muertos skull eyes. Would anyone happen to know if this was ever on a runway collection?



Wearing a Tsumori Chisato top, Urban Behaviour skirt and tights, Topshop heels.

Think Pink!

I've been trolling the fashion spot's vintage magazines threads these past few days. I've looked at so many 80s and early 90s magazines that I'm really craving that wind-swept big hair that Cindy Crawford and co. were famously sporting. I tried blow drying my hair back this morning to imitate the look. Unfortunately, it fell flat within an hour. But I refuse to use hairspray! It's much too toxic.

So here is the source of my recent pink obsession. If you were to go back in time and tell high-school-me that university-me is inspired by shoulder pads, hot pink, and big hair, she'd probably assume you're a complete nutter. I think high-school-me would have agreed with Ann-Sofie Back when she said she finds fuchsia really offensive in Bon Magazine's ss 09 issue. But these days I can't rule out any colour, because I always end up liking what I vehemently disliked another year.


Images from British Vogue August 1991 and American Bazaar May 1998 via tfs.com

What I'm Wearing 27.04.09

Last night I started off my first shift at Value Village by helping rearrange the entire floor layout. We started at 6pm and hoped to be out at 10. Well, since it was the largest switch they've done in about a decade, four hours definitely wasn't enough time. I ended up staying until 2 in the morning but others stayed even later. I couldn't stay awake to get some overtime pay. Drat. I think that's the most exercise I've had this year.

Today I went to the mall to see if I could find a pair of shoes I was eyeing. Success! I will post about them tomorrow. I wore a pink cropped jacket (another weekend vintage find), H&M skirt, Joe tshirt, Mango belt and Aldo shoes. This outfit may have been a bit too dressed up for the mall. I had some good reactions, the guy helping me with the shoes at Aldo insisted I apply for a job there, and a girl at Urban Behaviour loved my 80s jacket. But then I also had some bad reactions... like creepy skytrain personnel trying to chat me up (don't they have wives and children?) and one of my creepy neighbours following me to my gate and saying "oh that's where you live! we're neighbours!" UGH!!! I want my boyfriend now...

Vintage Ports Blazer

Wearing a thrifted blazer, dress, Aldo heels and yellow tights turned into shorts.

Yesterday I finished my last exam and then hung out with the boy to celebrate our second anniversary! We made ratatouille (inspired by one of our favourite movies) and had chocolate port and raspberry wine. Yum! It feels so strange to be finally done with school for the summer. I always have this lingering feeling that I should be memorizing this or writing that or waking up early for this or that. Last summer it lasted for a whole month! It's like having one of your limbs cut off and thinking it's still around every now and then... Strange.

Anyways, here is that vintage Ports wool blazer that I mentioned in my earlier post. I'm noticing that hot pink has really taken off this season. I tried to pair it with something other than black for a change though. How about yellow shorts? I'm not quite happy with the shoes in this outfit, but they are the best out of what I have so far.

I'm considering purchasing theseheels to round out my shoe collection a little bit. I have such a wide variety of shapes and colours and textures of clothes that it is often difficult to find shoes that go with them. Does anyone else have this problem? What sort of colours does one absolutely need? I love black but it doesn't go with everything, especially with this rainbow bright outfit.

A Shot of Scotch

Yesterday I went thrifting and I picked up all kinds of goodies. Photos will be posted within the coming few days as I start to figure out how to incorporate them into my wardrobe. I couldn't believe my fantastic luck! The gems include a Tsumori Chisato blouse, vintage Ports hot pink wool blazer, and vintage Jaeger London blouse. From Value Village! Can you believe it? I've also arranged to work there again for my summer job. Outside of bits and bobs from Zara or Aldo, most of my wardrobe is built on thrifted finds so it makes sense to get 50% off while I'm at it!

Another thing I found, but couldn't keep because I ran out of cash, was a gorgeous plaid wool dress that fit like a glove and could doublt as a coat. After seeing this vintage editorial with Linda Evangelista for US Vogue, I cried out in despair. Why did I let that beautiful dress go? Why? I want to be wearing it right now!









Images via tfs.com

What I'm Wearing 23.04.07

Hey guys! Meet my clone.



We are wearing thrifted dresses, belts, shiny pants turned into leggings, 80s bag stolen from mother's closet and Topshop heels.

We are wearing different shoes today! We would wear these pairs more often but they are just a touch too crammed in the toe-area. The leggings we are wearing were made out of stretchy shiny pants we picked up at the Salvation army and turned into leggings when we were in grade 12. Around that time, wet look leggings were just barely starting to make a buzz in the blogosphere and they were still nowhere to be found in stores, so we decided to make our own! We've since forgotten about these leggings, but decided to wear them out again today. Can you believe someone once wore these as flares? Yikes!

This studded linen dress that looks slightly like denim reminds us of the Givenchy ss 09 collection. It must be the sleeves, they look exactly the same as that top second from the right in this ad when not too rolled up.


image via frillr.com

Oh Deer! ... Oh Dear, You Fail

So at precisely one o'clock this afternoon I ran off to the post office to go pickup my package from Solestruck.com. I was extremely excited when Danielle contacted me a couple of weeks ago and said that I could pick any pair of shoes they carry, I was completely over the moon. I decided to go big or go home, and chose this pair of Alaia-like heels from Oh Deer.



So the good news is, I got the shoes. The bad news is, they fit HORRIBLY. Firstly, the loops at the top stand about an inch away from my foot, and the loop near the toes is even off-side and uncentred. They're all loose and wiggly and I can't walk in them. I am so disappointed and reminded once again why I don't normally order big things online.



So my options are:
1) Return them, and ask for a different pair (but I can only reach Danielle on Tuesdays and I don't want to sound demanding when it was technically a free pair of shoes... with taxes... darn you government!)
2) Try to somehow have them taken in at a shoe repair shop. Is this even possible? Can they take out the straps that attach to the sole and make them shorter? Does anyone know how much this would cost?
3) Just give them away. FML.

So yeah, thanks Danielle and Solestruck for being such angels! But it's too bad it didn't work out.

For now I'll just mourn by burying myself in my Human Resources textbook. FML X 2

Hyeres O'Clock

I have been very self-indulgent with the last four outfit posts, but now it's time for something a little different!

I must say, watching all of the Hyeres Festival previews posted on A Shaded View on Fashion has made me extremely excited to see what's in store for this year. Just browsing through the promo shots of the collections provided an instant visual appeal for me. Many of the pieces are soft and ethereal, very inspiring and very timely for the coming season.

Inspiration ranges from the forces of the wind, to Persian poetry, to aviation, archeology, film noir, and kaleidoscopes. Each reference seems intruiging and I can't wait to see more of how each is translated into the clothes. I am particularly looking forward to seeing Melody Deldjou Fard's sheer pieces which "evoke human organs", Anaïs Dougnac's feathered boots, and Harald Lunde Helgesen's exploration with colour and gradients, amongst other fascinating details.

The festival starts on Friday. It would be a dream to be there in person!






Images via Hyeres Festival


From A Shaded View on Fashion

What I'm Wearing 21.04.07

Wearing a vintage dress from C'est La Vie, thrifted leather jacket, Aldo heels, thrifted sunglasses, and vintage briefcase from a prop store on Front Street (New Westminster).

I swear I didn't wear these shoes yesterday! Actually, I'm alternating between heels and flats these days. I guess I just happen to make better posting outfits with heels on.

This morning I... almost... received my much anticipated package from Solestruck.com. Why almost? Well because the government decided to make me pay 15 bucks worth of taxes on the spot and I didn't have any cash. Is this normal when receiving online goods? I wouldn't know, since this is the biggest package I've ordered so far. Oh well, I guess the shoes will be my little reward for surviving this afternoon's statistics exam. Can't wait to pick them up tomorrow.

Edit: Unfortunately my little vintage briefcase is not cooperating with me because the locks are all wonky. I almost got my notes stuck in there! I'm glad I averted that disaster before leaving the house. It's too bad I have to switch bags.

What I'm Wearing 19.04.09

Another similar outfit for today. I'm a bit pressed for time this week because of the last leg of exams, so I seem to like reaching for the easy-to-wear neutrals. Some day I'm going to have to switch up those shoes... They go with everything though! I also broke out a hat I purchased back in September but never had the guts to wear out. It just seemed to fit this outfit very well.

Last night I went to The Noodle Box for a $5 all you can eat appetizers promotional event. It was delicious! They made me want to go back again. I guess the plan worked!



I wore a hat from Hot Box, thrifted denim jacket, Jacob sweater, H&M tee, Topshop pants and Aldo shoes.

What I'm Wearing 18.04.09

That's two finals down now! I found finance to be easier than french. Go figure. I never thought I could be a number person. Anyways, since my exam was in the late afternoon, I had all morning to experiment with different outfits and give my brain a break. Unfortunately (or fortunately maybe) I ended up zeroing in on this rather Paris Voguette-ian outfit. Althought I didn't intend to look like an Emanuelle Alt clone, I must admit I like the casual cool pairing of fur with a white tee and jeans.


Thrifted Ron et Normand blazer, thrifted fur collar, H&M tee, Levi's jeans, Aldo shoes.

On the plus side, I got some wear out of items that haven't seen the light of day in ages. Take these jeans for example. I've had them since the 10th grade and I stopped wearing them completely 3 years ago. They've just sort of sat in my closet collecting dust since. But something about them made me want to save them. Maybe it's that perfect fade that they've garnered over time, and the fact that they even have a light blotch over the pocket where I always kept my keys. It almost feels like I'm wearing a hug. Nice feeling that.

I haven't worn the above fur collar very much either. It was purchased second hand at Value Village and although I love it very much, I've always been a little hesitant to wear it (especially on campus) for fear of receiving death glares from my fellow students. I'm of the opinion that it's better to give it a second life than let it go to waste. But others may believe that even wearing a second hand piece promotes the abuse of animals, and I can respect that too.

So anyways, I guess this is one of those "tomboyish" outfits that a few commenters on the forum mentioned below were talking about (thank you guys for translating that for me!). I really tend to seesaw back and forth between minimal and over the top. I haven't quite decided what my favourite style is yet, but I still have a few years to figure it out, if I would ever want to that is. For the moment I like being able to do daring when I feel daring and casual-chic when I'm just looking for an easy fix.

Whaaat?

I was supposed to take a break to study finance today but I couldn't resist making this little post. A school friend of mine alerted me to this thread, where my blog is being discussed. It feels so surreal to have this parallel discussion going on that I didn't know about and that I can't even understand. Would anyone mind translating for me? Hopefully it's positive feedback! What's even more strange is that I've kept my blog relatively separate from my day to day school life, but now that it has come around full circle I'm feeling a bit jumpy. I guess it's because these people have seen me at my most awkward...

What I'm Wearing 15.04.09

Thank you everyone for wishing me well on my exams! That's one down and four to go. Oh boy. I'm actually not quite sure how well I did in the French exam. I'm pretty sure I did well on the essay but the grammar analysis was another story. They didn't give us freebies that's for sure. Oh and Alice, I can't actually speak french fluently. I'm a bit too timid and fumble with my words too much. I guess that's what happens when you only study grammar and are fishing your brain for the perfect sentence. It just doesn't come naturally yet, but I would like to immerse myself in the language for a few months sometime after I graduate.

It's a beautiful sunny day out today but I'm sort of stuck inside. So here is what I'm wearing around the house (sans shoes).



Jacob sweater, thrifted vest, Topshop pants, Aldo shoes.

I love these pants but I just wish they were a few inches longer! Almost all of my pants are too short actually. Not the best look sometimes.

Oh and does anyone know what country this vest I'm wearing may have come from? It's made from leather. I'm guessing south east Asia, because it doesn't feel too Chinese, but I'm not really sure. It would be nice to find out the back story behind it.

Ah summer, soon we shall meet by the seaside...

Make it solid gold

Tonight's the night I'm taking some time off from studying to go dancing! Granted, my French exam takes place early tomorrow morning so I'm feeling a bit anxious about staying out late but... The Presets are playing! Last time they came to Vancouver I didn't end up going and regretted it later when I heard their songs played outside of my home for the first time at a Sci-Fi club night. I won't be missing out again! Plus, as an added bonus, they've brought The Golden Filter with them on tour. Yep, no way I'm missing out.

So if you've noticed lately that my posts have been slowing down, it's because I've been studying French grammar like a madwoman hoping to have it all programmed into my brain by tomorrow morning so that, even if I'm tired, I can just turn on autopilot and plow through the exam.




I've put together two potential outfits for tonight. In the first photo I'm wearing a thrifted gold top, vest, skirt turned inside out, and Aldo heels, and in the second I'm wearing a thrifted lace blouse, the same skirt, and Topshop heels. Although I'd really like to wear my little ode to gold for the Golden Filter, I think it will be much too hot and I don't want to stain the beautiful top. So I might go with outfit two instead. Nice and breezy.



Taking photos of myself (and this time not in a mirror) makes me again think that I really need a lens that has a focusing ring with numbers on it! Or at least a remote control for the camera. I had so many problems getting the focus right for these two shots. They're still a bit off, but good enough.

Anyways, I suggest you turn off the TV, get off the computer, play the below songs very loudly, and dance to keep the world spinning!

The really really really ridiculously long shoe wishlist

What is going on guys? I don't think I've ever seen so many covetable shoes in one season... So many shoes that I would actually purchase (had I the money)! It appears as if high street is working hard for our dollars (and pounds) these days. In some cases, working hard as in copying designers... maybe a bit too often. Although I am quite delighted with the newly-emerging fast-fashion approach to retail, I'm worried that this is causing much hardship on the designers who are actually the creative centers of fashion. But anyways, this is an indulgent post, pure and simple.